Today's read... Shadows of Nightshade by Lyla Owens with Giveaway!

 

Shadows of Nightshade

The Garden of Eternal Flowers #1

By Lyla Oweds

YA Paranormal Romance/ Paranormal Horror

Release Date: 8 March 2023

 

I dream of a time where I was warm, safe, and loved.

But my waking reality is starkly different.

Anxiety plagues me and spirits haunt the shadows. No matter how fast I run, I can’t seem to escape my past.

The only solace and steady force in my life is my best friend, Finn.

And now… there’s a ghost haunting me. And I’m not certain if it wants help or if it wants to kill me. There’s only one person who can understand: Finn’s brother, Damen.

However, in reaching out, I’m betraying Finn and setting things into motion that cannot be undone.

But nobody ever said that doing the right thing was easy.



The Garden of Eternal Flowers is a re-envisioning of my Grimm Cases series. Eternal Flowers has taken my original vision of Bianca's story and transformed it into something new and beautiful. Some chapters are similar, and some dialogue is the same, as The Grimm Cases, Origins, but overall, about 75% of the book has been entirely revisioned with new plot points, mystery, and interpersonal relationships. Also, unlike Origins (originally a Wattpad release), there is now a clear beginning, climax, and conclusion in each individual novel, which allows them to be read alone or as part of the ongoing series.

I hope that you will enjoy Shadows of Nightshade as much as I enjoyed writing it. Truly, it is an honor to write about Bianca and her boys, and all of these characters are near and dear to my heart.

Trigger Warning: This series deals with the aftermath of severe childhood trauma.

- Goodreads
- Bookbub
- Amazon
- B&N
- Kobo
- Radish

MY TIDBITS

This is a rewrite of the original book, Origins, which I did read and enjoyed. So, to say that I was curious what the author had done now is an understatement. I tread into the first pages, a little skeptical, but came out enjoying it all over again.

Bianca see ghosts, which she ignores until she agrees to housesit for her professor and is teased by a spiritual entity every night. Her best and only friend refuses to listen to her pleas for a little help, which sends her off to seek out his brother, who is supposedly into paranormal stuff. But when she arrives at the door, she's greeted by four guys, who are anything but normal, and although they might be able to help her, she's stumbled across a world that will turn everything she knows upside down.

This is a fun read, and while it does involve a freshman in college, it works fine for older YAers, too. The thing which makes this read fun is the characters. They pack tons of over-the-top personality, which borders on too much but keeps it right at the level where it's fun. Bianca, to put it mildly, is a hot mess. She's been locked out from the world around her and has the oddest way of viewing things. It's not necessarily realistic, and that's awesome. She's all over the place, but there's something endearing about it, too, which makes her addictive. The guys are a bit cliche, at times, but only at times. Each of them is a mystery for itself. Between all of them, it's a humorous back and forth in unpredictable directions.

Then, there's the dark side. The threats are deadly, and the secrets thick. Bianca is in danger and has a foggy past with uncertain players still heavily involved. The stakes are high, letting it veer into the area of horror. This thrown together with the humor above makes for an original and quirky mix...which I enjoyed completely.

There is the reverse harem romance...for all of those fans out there. But while there is tons and tons of flirting and silliness in these pages, that is not the main thrust. It's also slow burn, and considering Bianca's state, nothing else would work. 

I'm looking forward to seeing what the author does next.  

And here she is...

Lyla Oweds is a paranormal / urban fantasy author who resides in the beautiful Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania with her husband, children, and animals. While she enjoys all genres of fiction, she has a deep appreciation for fantasy, romance, mystery, crime, and horror. Lyla has a bachelor’s in anthropology and will be completing her master’s in information technology in 2023.

Writing is her moonlighting passion, and she loves having the opportunity to share her perspective as a disabled (profoundly hard of hearing) woman. During the daylight hours, Lyla works as a principal / lead design and development specialist focusing on user experience and accessibility. When not working, Lyla is usually indulging in one of her many hobbies such as amusing her children, gardening, crocheting, interior decorating, baking, cooking, or playing video games.

- Website
- Facebook
- Instagram
- Amazon
- Goodreads

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Shadows of Nightshade. One winner wins a paperback copy of Shadows of Nightshade.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours and the tour runs from 13 till 26 March. You can see the tour schedule here.